Entries tagged with: House of Vans

Danny Brown has a few dates coming up, including three appearances in NYC this week. One is the previously announced show at Sonos Studio on Thursday (10/2) which RSVP is now closed for. Later that night, Danny will appear at Just Blaze's weekly House Party at Webster Hall at 10 PM. Tickets for that party are available. Then on Friday (10/3) he plays a free show at House of Vans. To get into that, you have to RSVP to RSVP@pacsun.com which closes today (10/1). It was still open as of two hours ago.

Long-running, but more popular than ever, Baltimore's dancing synth-pop act Future Islands came to NYC last night (8/7) for a free show at the House of Vans. The bill was filled out by a trio of excellent pop-minded acts: Syrian pop singer Omar Souleyman, Dan Boeckner's (Wolf Parade, Divine Fits) new act Operators and local indie pop act Mas Ysa. Not surprisingly, the show was already near capacity by the time the first opener went on around 7pm. Those who RSVP'd but didn't get there early enough were being turned away all night.

Omar is a great opener for Future Islands because Omar doesn't do much. It's hard to tell if the deadpan thing is his shtick, if he's just phoning it in, or if he's just reacting to a crowd full of non-dancers. He walks around the stage in sunglasses, sometimes staring at the not-dancing crowd as he croons. His signature moves are moving his outreached arms up and down and clapping to get the crowd energized and moving. Backed only by a keyboard player and/or track, his music is booming, loud and sounds great. And It would be a great dance party if people danced, or maybe if Omar did.

Future Islands frontman Samuel T. Herring on the other hand is a dancing machine, a living meme, a sex machine. Smiling, chatting, crooning and dancing while backed by a very able and seasoned band. The crowd goes nuts and rightfully so (even with the muddy, poorly-mixed sound in the House of Vans warehouse that kind of ruined it for me, as I stood towards the back). The large, enthusiastic crowd, drunk on free Shiner beer, cheered before and after every song, and even more when Sam showed off his special moves, and even more when hit single "Seasons" came up in the Singles-heavy set list.

House of Vans is a spacious, corporate-funded, skate park and event venue in warehouse located in the heart of hip Greenpoint/Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Future Islands know the neighborhood well, or at least certain places in the neighborhood like the small, long-running DIY venue called Death By Audio that they've played many times, and that Sam gave a shoutout to from the stage (It was hard to understand but he said, but it was something about going there the night before because it's the only place he knows).

For Operators, it was their 2nd-ever NYC show. Their first was the BrooklynVegan Northside showcase. House of Vans ended up being the first show of a Future Islands and Operators tour together. They'll hit Millvale, PA tonight. Check out all the dates for that tour, as well as the rest of the pictures from last night's House of Vans show, an Instagram video featuring some of his moves, and a stream of Vince Clarke's new remix of "Doves", below...

On Thursday (7/10), The House of Vans became the foggiest and most humid locale on earth as they welcomed the Gorilla Biscuits, the Bouncing Souls, and Turnstile to their fourth free bash of the 2014 summer season. The show was very free and the RSVP list was so overbooked that the line to get in stretched from the venue to somewhere in Staten Island, leaving scores of people to be turned away at the door. It blows my mind that in this city and in this day and age I was able to see two of the most legendary hardcore/post-punk bands and double fist decent beer the entire time without ever opening my wallet (except to tip, of course). But that's what House of Vans does, and for that I am forever grateful.

I haven't been to a House of Vans show since the very first summer they started doing them, so I couldn't remember how soon the bands started playing after their 7:00pm doors. Therefore, by the time I got checked in, into the venue, and acquired my first coupla beers, the opener Turnstile had already finished their set. Did you see them? How were they? Pictures of their set -- and all the bands (our photographer was on time) -- are in this post.

The Bouncing Souls, who are currently celebrating their 25th anniversary, took the stage next at about 8:30 PM, and by this point the room was absolutely cram-packed and a sweltering, hot, foggy, humid mess. I've been into the Bouncing Souls since about 1995 but they are one of those bands whose albums I never really listen to in my spare time because it's nothing compared to the live show. I know that sounds stupid, but whatever. They tore through what felt like a somewhat extended setlist that had the crowd in a frenzy. Almost everyone in the room knew the words to all the songs so there was plenty of crowd participation, fist-pumping, and bro-y fellowship. Pits these days are simply pedestrian compared to how they used to be, but last night things definitely got a little bonkers throughout the Souls' set which was pretty awesome. Good to see people still have it in them to pummel the shit out of each other now and then in the name of hardcore.

Many, many, many, many beers and about an additional 20 degrees later, it was time for my main reason for being there: NYHC legends the Gorilla Biscuits. I got into the Biscuits in about 1993, but by that point they had since disbanded. My first attempt to see them live was when CBGB was about to close its doors for good. I waited in line for several hours, got completely drenched during what felt like a passing hurricane, yet never ended up getting into the show. I FINALLY had my chance to see them when they played BB Kings on September 2, 2006 and that show was so insane and kicked so much ass that I almost threw up. So last night was only my second time seeing them, and holy shitballs did they deliver. Their discography isn't that huge, so it's safe to say that they practically played everything last night (setlist below). "High Hopes," "No Reason Why," "Hold Your Ground," and "Start Today" were among the gems they unleashed on us. They even played a blistering rendition of "Do Something" which is from frontman Civ's other band Civ. A highlight of the evening for many people (except for me because shit like this doesn't really impress me) was when the Biscuits were joined by Judge frontman Mike Judge for a fantastic rendition of "New York Crew" (videos of that are below). Sick of it All front man Lou Koeller was seen watching the show from the audience and I hoped he'd hop up there for a song as well, but that didn't happen. The Gorilla Biscuits sounded absolutely incredible and I really think the world would be a better place if they took the time to tour a little more often. It really is a sight to behold.

And another takeaway from the evening is that, quite simply, Walter Schreifels is the man. I am speaking very generally here, but a lot of these old school hardcore guys never outgrew their safety-in-numbers, goonish, thuggish, and macho "crew" tough-guy ape mentality. And as they get older, it just looks so pathetic to me. After the Biscuits, Walter went on to amass a really eclectic CV of musical projects; from the post-hardcore icons Quicksand, to the more Brit-rock influenced Walking Concert, to his solo works, to post-hardcore outfit Rival Schools... the dude grew up, branched out. To see him step back into his hardcore roots, with his long hair and his lack of (visible) tattoos, and absolutely own it... that rules man.

More pictures from last night's mayhem, plus video and Gorilla Biscuits' setlist, below...

Then the Black Lips erupted into a frenetic, hour-long set spanning its decade-plus-long career of love letters to early garage rock, amplified and exquisitely distorted for the Coachella generation, highlighted by cuts off its latest LP, Underneath the Rainbow. The show was among the band's first with guitarist Jack Hines in more than a decade, as he rejoined the band in the last week upon the recent departure of Ian St. Pé. Hines helped lay down rhythms for the band's vocal trip, bassist Jared Swilley, guitarist Cole Alexander and drummer Joe Bradley, who ping-ponged off each other with ease. - [The Waster]

It was an especially hot n' sweaty night at House of Vans on Thursday (7/3) with Atlanta's Black Lips headlining a garage punk lineup that also included Night Birds and Seattle's Night Beats who flew in for this show and had played Baby's All Right the night before. Pictures from the whole evening are in this post.

Seattle psych-garage trio Night Beats are visiting NYC this week and were just revealed as the "special guests" on the July 3 House of Vans show with Black Lips and Night Birds. That show is free but RSVP is now full.

Night Beats will also be playing tonight (7/2) at Baby's All Right on what is a very good bill of its own. Beverly, who just played a packed Baby's on Saturday (6/28) for their record release party, are also on the bill, as are LODRO, Roya (featuring members of Habibi, The Clean and Grooms), and Providence, RI surf punks Gymshorts. After the show, Black Lips will DJ in the front room. Tickets are on sale.

The June lineups for the free Vans House Parties at NYC's House of Vans (25 Franklin St) were already announced, and now the July and August ones were too.

July's shows include wild garage rockers Black Lips (who also play NYC on their tour with King Khan this fall) with local skate/surf punks Night Birds and a special guest on 7/3; and hardcore vets Gorilla Biscuits with NJ punk heroes Bouncing Souls (who also celebrate 25 years in NJ this summer) and a special guest on 7/10.

All shows are free (and all ages), but RSVP is required (though it doesn't guarantee entry). RSVP for the Black Lips/Night Birds and Gorilla Biscuits/Bouncing Souls shows open today (6/10) at noon. The series kicks off this Thursday (6/12) with Charles Bradley, Mac DeMarco (who also plays 4Knots) and Benjamin Booker. RSVP for that one is closed.

"@AngelHaze so your show tonight at House Of Vans was dope! You're a beast!" - @TOKYOPOP

Rapper Angel Haze squeezed in a NYC one-off Zumiez party at House of Vans on Saturday (6/7) ahead of her upcoming trip to Europe for Glastonbury and a tour. The show was also with dancepunks The Death Set and Boston funk band Bad Rabbits, and pictures of all three sets are in this post.

Angel Haze has a European tour coming up in July following a Glastonbury appearance, but before leaving home the NYC-based rapper will play a free local show on June 7 at House of Vans with The Death Set and Bad Rabbits. RSVP is required, and entry is still first come, first served. Doors open at 7 PM.

The Vans House Parties were also announced today, which like this show, are free shows happening at House of Vans.

The free Vans and FYF-presented Vans House Parties at NYC's House of Vans (25 Franklin St) are returning this summer with two shows a month from June - August. The June shows will be Charles Bradley, Mac DeMarco and Benjamin Booker (6/12); and STRFKR, Poolside and Chrome Sparks (6/19); and the other four lineups are still TBA.

All shows are free with RSVP, but entry is still first come, first served (doors at 7 PM). RSVP for the 6/12 show opens today (5/21) at noon.

With a new album and an impending appearance at this weekend's Austin Psych Fest, UK band The Horrors stopped in NYC last night (4/29) to play a free show at House of Vans. Cold, rainy anorak weather and the venue's warehouse space made for a good setting for The Horrors' widescreen, if gloomy, rock. As the new Luminious isn't out till next week (5/6), the band opened with a few older songs: "Mirror's Image" and "Scarlett Fields" from 2009's Primary Colours, and "I Can See Through You" from 2011's Skying in between.

The Horrors' 10-song set only hit on three of Luminous' tracks: the lovely "I See You," plus the Madchester-funky "In and Out of Sight" and current, Chameleons-esque single "So Now You Know." I wish they'd played a couple more, especially "Change Your Mind," the closest the band has ever come to a ballad and maybe the best song on the album. HoV's boomy acoustics work well with the band's spacey sound which is miles away from their gothpunk days of "Sheena is a Parasite" (they didn't play anything from their first album). Despite using cool old fashioned film loop projections, The Horrors are not the most engaging band to watch, but if your goal is to close your eyes and bliss out, they sounded pretty good.

Opening the night were locals Spires who have gone under some renovations in the past couple months, changing drummers, second guitar and adding a third who also played keyboard. They're still making jangly psych-pop, but sound a little less overtly '60s retro (though perhaps more '80s "Paisley Underground" retro). In between sets, Darkside's Dave Harrington kept things hopping on the decks.

Pictures of the whole evening and Horrors' setlist are in this post. More below...

The Horrors have a new album, Luminous, out May 6 and will be visiting North America for Austin Psych Fest next weekend. On their way there, The Horrors will play Brooklyn's House of Vans on April 29 with openers Spires. The show is free but you must RSVP to RSVPTOVANS@gmail.com with "Classic & Brooklyn" in the subject line.

The Horrors will also play Los Angeles before Psych Fest. All dates are listed, along with the video for "So Now You Know," below...

King Tuff is playing House of Vans on Thursday (10/24) as part of a 20th Anniversary celebration for the Vans Snow Team. Also performing are Jamie Lynn and Zac Marben. They'll also be showing a retrospective Vans video and serving complimentary drinks. Doors are at 7 PM and it's free but you do need to RSVP to RSVPTOVANS@GMAIL.COMwith "Anniversary" in the subject line.

Vans has been hosting a video series of the parties, and the final installment is of Les Savy Fav, who played the final show (8/29), and whose frontman Tim Harrington hosted the parties this summer. Check out that video below...

The free House of Vans shows continued last night (8/15) with an all around great punk bill. Lo-fi pop punks Swearin' opened the night, followed by classic-style punk from Dischord supergroup Red Hare. Then came emo/indie rock line crossers Joyce Manor, and finally, the last US show for melodic hardcore vets Kid Dynamite. Pictures of the sweaty craziness are in this post.

Joyce Manor will be back in Brooklyn when their tour hits Knitting Factory on Saturday (8/17) with Glocca Morra and Dogs On Acid (ex-Algernon Cadwallader). Tickets for that show are still available.

The free House of Vans shows continued this week (7/31) with a triple attack of sludge metal from The Melvins, Baroness, and Melvins/Butthole Surfers-related band Honky. Pictures of the former two are in this post, and another set of the show (including shots of Honky) is at Invisible Oranges.

For Baroness, this was their first NYC show since heading back out on the road following last year's tragic bus crash. (And it was actually the same venue they would have played last summer.) John Baizley and guitarist Peter Adams are the only members who remained in the band after the accident, and Baizley is actually the only original member left. Despite this, and a noticeably calmer Baizley than the earlier days (which, all things considered, you'd forgive him for), the band was tight and the show was a great time. The show was mainly split between Yellow & Green and Blue Record, including live favorites like "Take My Bones Away," "March to the Sea," "The Sweetest Curse," and "Swollen and Halo." Only complaint was that I wish the set was longer, which it probably will be when Baroness headline Irving Plaza on 8/14 with Royal Thunder (tickets).

Congrats go out to Jared Warren of Big Business, who sat out this Melvins tour in favor of paternity leave. In his stead was bassist Jeff Pinkus of Honky, who ably backed the band, though Jared's sweet harmonizing croon was missed. The band's appearance featured tracks old and new, and even an appearance from Gibby Haynes of Butthole Surfers.

RSVP for the free Kid Dynamite, Joyce Manor, Red Hare, and Swearin'show at House of Vans (8/15) opens today at 9 AM. Like all House of Vans shows, RSVP is required but entry is still first come, first served.

To see Joyce Manor play a smaller venue (and presumably a longer set), you can catch them headlining their own Brooklyn show two days later at Knitting Factory (8/17) with Glocca Morra and Dogs On Acid (ex-Algernon Cadwallader). Tickets for that show are still available.

Swearin' also play NYC again, opening for Kathleen Hanna's new band The Julie Ruin, when their tour hits Bowery Ballroom on 9/3 (sold out).

Meanwhile, House of Vans shows continue this Wednesday (7/31) with Melvins, Baroness, and Honky. That one's all RSVPed out, but you can also catch Baroness when their tour returns to NYC on August 14 at Irving Plaza with Royal Thunder (tix).

Philly hardcore band Kid Dynamite, who were initially around from 1997-2000, have done a few reunions since then, including one in 2010 for Philly's This is Hardcore Fest, which has since led to other reunion shows like Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011. Their current reunion is now coming to an end, and the band will officially be breaking up for good. A statement from the band reads:

It was 2010 when we were first invited to play This Is Hardcore in Philly. It was our first show in nearly 5 years, since playing CBs. We've always gotten offers to reunite for a show or two, but nothing ever really panned out. It seemed like all of us were interested in possibly hitting the stage a few more times. Why not? Right?

Over the past 3 years we've had the pleasure of playing some pretty exciting shows; a warm welcome in California, a magically dusty weekend in Austin, a unexpected romp in Gainesville, a beautifully nostalgic show at the Church in Philly and most recently our first trip to Europe. We played with great bands and felt a great deal of love and energy. But what next?

We've seen many bands reunite over the past few years and surely every one of them asks themselves the question "What are we doing?" Do we move forward and progress with new material, keep playing in the cyclical manor til we wear out our welcome or do we take a final bow?

In less than a month we will be playing two of our biggest headlining shows ever; This Is Hardcore in Philly and House of Vans in Brooklyn. Things can't get any more exciting for us. It seems like an appropriate time to announce these as our final U.S. shows. We say U.S. shows because we've been working on one more trip over seas for some time now. If it happens it will be in 2014.

We are fortunate enough to be able to rewrite the ending of our story. Our first farewell in the year 2000 was mired in confusion, sadness and anger. This time around we get to ride off into the sunset with nothing but love and pride for this band who's music has somehow, with the help everyone around us, resonated through the past 16 years.

We'd like to thank all of the people who have kept this band alive; those of you who have shared our music with your friends and covered our songs. Thank you to all of you who have come out to our shows to sweat with us, smile with us and ultimately scream with us, reminding us that this band is and always will be our "Fuck You!"

Baroness finally returned to the road this year, and as discussed, this summer's tour includes not one, but two NYC shows. The first of those is a free House of Vans show on July 31, which is being headlined by Melvins, and also features openers Honky. RSVP is required, and opens today (7/15) at 9 AM. Like all House of Vans shows, entry is still first come, first served. Show flyer below.

Baroness' other NYC show this summer is a not-free one at Irving Plaza on August 14 with Royal Thunder, which tickets are still available for.

Updated Baroness dates are listed, along with a video from the band's recent Pittsburgh show, below...

Like Joyce Manor did when they played House of Vans last year, they've now added a headlining not-free ($12) show happening in Brooklyn at a much smaller venue, Knitting Factory on August 17. That show, and every other show on their Northeast run except House of Vans, is with Glocca Morra. Tickets for the Knitting Factory show go on sale Saturday (7/13) at 10 AM.

This summer's free House of Vans concert series kicked off last night with a stacked triple billing of Fucked Up, Title Fight, and Hop Along. Despite a bit of rain over the outdoor drink/food area (which was actually kinda nice considering how hot it was inside), it was a great start to this year's HoV season. The line was pretty long even an hour before doors, but getting inside went pretty smoothly and the lines for the free beer weren't much trouble either. All the bands were great too.

Hop Along kicked things off around 7:45, and though they were the calmest band on the bill, they were no less intense to watch. Frances Quinlan is seriously such a powerhouse singer, wailing away with no interest in taming her voice, which she wouldn't need to do anyway. Frances opened the show with one song solo, and then was joined by her band for the rest of the set, which was pretty similar to their recent Bowery Ballroom show. It included a bunch of Get Disowned standouts and their recently released single, "Sister Cities."

Next up was Title Fight, who had the biggest and wildest crowd of the night, and they wasted no time making that happen. With little to no introduction the band tore right into their first song with Ned Russin swinging his bass and jumping around on stage while screaming into his mic. The crowd was packed with devoted fans yelling every word and starting all kinds of raucous pits throughout the show. The set was heavy on last year's excellent Floral Green album, but included a couple early cuts for the longtime fans (who, as you may have guessed, went totally apeshit for them).

Finally, Fucked Up closed out the night, and though the place had cleared out a bit after Title Fight, Fucked Up were excellent as always and had themselves a fairly wild crowd too. Damien was characteristically funny on stage (he debuted his 4 year old son's new song, whose lyrics consisted only of "I love the word 'penis'" repeatedly), and of course, he spent about 80% of the show in the crowd. They played a couple new ones, in addition to their usual trek through the David Comes to Life material and some other live staples like "I Hate Summer" and "Son The Father."

Happy opening day to the House of Vans (25 Franklin St in Brooklyn) free summer concert series! The first show is tonight (6/27) with Fucked Up, Title Fight, and Hop Along (which RSVPed out way long ago), and there's some other happenings in the HoV world too.

RSVP for the Toro y Moi, Shlohmo, and Jonwayne show happening on July 11 opens today (6/27) at noon. RSVP is limited to two tickets per person, and as with all House of Vans shows, entry is still capacity-based, so get there early.

It's also just been announced that LA dance duo Classixx (whose new album, Hanging Gardens came out earlier this year, and who already played NYC a couple times) have been added to the July 18 show with !!! and Jacques Renault. RSVP for that show opens Monday (7/1) at 9 AM.

RSVP info is here for all upcoming House of Vans shows. Check out the updated lineup and a new flyer for the !!!/Jacques Renault/Classixx show below...

As mentioned, the free, all ages House of Vans (25 Franklin St in Brooklyn) shows are returning this summer with some pretty great lineups. RSVP for the first show in the series, which happens on June 27 and includes Fucked Up, Title Fight, and Hop Along, opens today (6/11) at 11 AM. All shows are free but RSVP is required for entry.

Fucked Up just played a muddy, sweaty, awesome set at this past weekend's Governors Ball festival on Randall's Island. If you haven't yet, you can check out pictures of that set HERE.

Meanwhile, Title FIght have other upcoming shows including another previously discussed NYC date happening even sooner. It's a Rocks Off Cruise on June 16, which is a Shirts For A Cure presented show, and includes "a very special guest." Tickets for that show are still available. They also just announced a bunch of other dates, all of which are listed below.

At Hop Along's recent Bowery Ballroom show opening for The Thermals and Screaming Females, they played a new song during their set and mentioned that it would debut on June 5. Well here we are on June 5, and that song, titled "Sister Cities," is out now. It's got a country-punk inspired rhythm rolling through it, and singer Frances Quinlan is at her most expressive, switching back and forth between her folky whisper and her unpolished roar. You can stream the song for below and download it for free at the Weathervane Music Bandcamp.

Weathervane Music is also the organization who just featured "Sister Cities" in their "Shaking Through" documentary series about the "Birth of a Song." In the series, bands record a new song in two days and the process is captured on film. You can watch two videos of that session, which splice together recording and interviews, below. Read more about the session at the Shaking Through website.

Hop Along will be returning to NYC for a free House of Vans show on June 27 with an incredible lineup that also includes Fucked Up and Title Fight (who play NYC even sooner). Though the show is free, RSVP is required, and it opens on Tuesday (6/11).